Help a Noob Pick a Sharpener.

N

Not Too Sharp

Joined
Oct 10, 2011
Messages
3
Hi all-

HI want to be able to sharpen a couple of entry level knives, nothing too nice, just a POS Gerber folder, a SOG folder and a couple kitchen knives- Forschner/Victorinox stamped blades.

I don't need scary sharp, or anything crazy, just a usable edge for everyday use.

I'm looking for simple and affordable, and hopefully something that won't take 2 hours to sharpen a knife.

I've spent a couple hours looking through threads on here, and at some videos on YouTube, but I still can't decide.

I've narrowed it down to:

Lansky 6" x "2 Diamond Bench Stone Knife Sharpener- not sure on the grit though.

Smith's TRI-6 Arkansas TRI-HONE Sharpening... by Smith Abrasives

Smith's DCS4 4" FINE & COARSE Diamond Combo Sharpening Stones

Lansky Croc sticks- will these give me a decent edge?

or possibly the Edgemaker- unless you guys say otherwise.


I've also been wondering -
How long should it take to sharpen a knife??

20 strokes per side??

20 minutes???

Thanks for you input.
 
Those would not be my choices, but if I had to chose among them, the Crock Sticks would be my first choice.

I've used Crock Sticks for many years now, and although I now only use them for "touching up" an alrerady sharp blade, they are simple and very useful.
 
Croc Stick's are very inexpensive at $ 12.00, do a good job, and is very easy for anyone to use and is portable. It requires nothing more than the ability to hold the knife verticle. If you can do that, you will get a decent edge. Not to take anything away from the countless other choices out there, but the Croc's do a outstanding job v/s the small investment IMO! It does not require much time depending on the sharpness, of the blade. I can usually do touch up's with 9 strokes per side than hit the strops course, I keep my blades maintained and do not allow them to get overly dulled. I also use the mousepad & sandpaper methods and at times, a combination of the 2 which is also inexpensive. I would like a paper wheel setup oneday or a wicked edge but that requires more investment especially, the wicked edge system. The paper wheel setup is reasonable but will require practice to master as stated by Richard J and who has many threads on the topic you may wish to read. Good Luck in your endeavor's.
 
Would the crock sticks be a passable choice for a really dull blade, or does the blade have to already be in decent shape for them to work?

2nd Q: would there be anything to be gained by using a fine (or extra fine) stone after teh sticks??

Thanks for the answers.
 
My 8 year old can do some pretty good damage to his edges. I can get them back with the Croc's or with the combination of sandpaper and the croc stick's. The main point is they are $ 12.00. If it turn's out not to be for you, your not out a whole lot so I would give it a shot.
 
Super X said:
My 8 year old can do some pretty good damage to his edges. I can get them back with the Croc's or with the combination of sandpaper and the croc stick's. The main point is they are $ 12.00. If it turn's out not to be for you, your not out a whole lot so I would give it a shot.
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That is a point that I certainly cannot argue with! :p
 
Not Too Sharp said:
Would the crock sticks be a passable choice for a really dull blade, or does the blade have to already be in decent shape for them to work?

2nd Q: would there be anything to be gained by using a fine (or extra fine) stone after teh sticks??

Thanks for the answers.
Click to expand...

Depends on the grit of the stone, but if you can sharpen on a stone you don't need croc sticks.
 
I have been happy with the rods I have right now although they are a different brand than the crock sticks.
If a blade is horribly dull, or even a nick or chipped I use a coarse diamond stone first and then go to the rods.
 
For a guy who doesn't sharpen a lot of knives I like the GATCO system. It is rod guided like the Lansky and the KME but I think for the money it is a better system.

I sharpen all of my cutlery on it except for the really narrow blades. The clamping/rod guided systems have a clearance problem on something like the smalles SAKs.

I do all of my pocket, hunting and fishing knives up to my ten inch chef's knife.

Once you get them sharp maintenance is a breeze and takes little time.

I added the extra fine and ultimate finishing hones as well as a stropping step to my GATCO Professional kit.

Good Luck.
 
Not Too Sharp said:
Hi all-

HI want to be able to sharpen a couple of entry level knives, nothing too nice, just a POS Gerber folder, a SOG folder and a couple kitchen knives- Forschner/Victorinox stamped blades.

I don't need scary sharp, or anything crazy, just a usable edge for everyday use.

I'm looking for simple and affordable, and hopefully something that won't take 2 hours to sharpen a knife.

Thanks for you input.
Click to expand...

NTS, try going to Lowes or Home Depot and just get a Smiths silicone carbide stone for like 5 bucks, and practice on the kitchen paring knives. Learn the basics on a simple stone like your granddaddy used, and once you learn free hand sharpening, you will know how to sharpen up a knife anywhere at anytime on a wide variety of mediums. Contrary to popular myth, you don't need an expensive piece of equiptment or even a diamond stone to get started. An old style carborundum stone and a few paring knives, and a dry erase marker to mark the knife edge will teach you what you need to know. Once you learn how to keep a good angle, then you can use the bottom of coffee mugs, a smooth stone from a creek, or any thing in a pinch. The bottom of a coffee mug is what I've been using for a great while now. It's ceramic, and puts a hair shaving edge on my pocket knives, and I finish off with a stropping on the back of an old work belt.

Don't get used to using the fancy stuff until you learn how to sharpen the old way. It will pay off in the long run.

Carl.
 
SoonerBJJ said:
Carl, can you recommend a resource where a newbie could learn the "old way"?
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Aside from online video's, I'd say find an old Boy Scout manual. Heck, if he's anywhere in half a days drive of me, I'd meet him and show him how to do it.

This is something that has bugged me for a while. Too many young guys that have had fathers and grandfathers that shirked their duty for too long. The young guys are not being taught some of the most basic things. If anyone here that is half way close to me, I'd make a video showing how to sharpen a knife in a few moments using just a hand held stone. I'm an old fart without the technical know how on this computer stuff, so I need someone to help me make the video. I see too many people thinking they need some hundred dollar gizmo to sharpen a knife, and they become dependent on that gizmo. Then they get out in the woods or on a job site and their knife needs a touch up, and they're screwed, blued, and tattooed.

I don't mind sitting down anytime with somebody and teaching them how to sharpen with a minimum amount of time with just one hand held stone and old belt to stop on.

Carl.
 
If you just have a couple of knives to keep sharp to the standards you referenced, a $5 Home Depot or Lowes stone will work fine. They are coarse/fine combo stones, and they'll put a hair shaving edge on the knives you mentioned. The main thing you'll need is practice. Get a $2 paring knife or something to practice on.

As far as time goes, it depends on so many things that it's difficult to estimate. If you want to rebevel (lower the angle) of the edge of any of your knives, that could take a while. If you don't, it will depend on how dull the knife is to start with, how thick the bevel is, and your skill.

Here's how I recommend people start. If you want to match the existing bevel, get a place with good lighting, like outside on a sunny day. Support the stone however you feel comfortable, be it a table top, truck tailgate, your other hand, etc. Picnic tables work very well for this. Put the knife flat on the stone, and raise the spine until you see the edge touch the stone. Start from heel to tip or tip to heel and push or pull the knife across the stone, doing your best to maintain this angle with the edge touching. Pushing or pulling across the stone doesn't really matter at this point. You're just trying to get to the edge and remove metal. After 4 or 5 strokes, look at the scratches on the edge, or color the edge with a magic marker. This will tell you where the stone is cutting the steel. Adjust as necessary. If you have a line of scratches just along the edge, the knife will get sharp quickly, but the edge angle will increase and eventually you'll need to thin it down. If you get scratches along the back of the edge, just before it goes to the main grind, you aren't touching the edge, yet. You are lowering the bevel angle, and you'll get to the edge eventually. This is rebeveling. You can keep going, or increase the angle to match the existing. I alternate about 20 strokes per side until I can feel a wire edge on each side. After 20 strokes (or whatever you feel comfortable with) check the opposite side for the wire edge. Strop the knife backward on an old t-shirt or other fuzzy cloth. If the wire edge is there, you'll have a bunch of fuzz on the edge. You can also feel the burr by CAREFULLY feeling for it with your fingers, moving them from spine to the edge. My favorite method is to strop the knife CAREFULLY down the back of my arm. The wire edge will catch and pull the hair. Once you can do this after sharpening both sides, it's time to move to the fine side.

After you can feel a wire edge on each side, raise your angle slightly; the intent now is to just touch the very edge and remove that wire edge. Take 5 to 10 strokes on each side, alternating now after each stroke. These strokes should be very light and should be edge leading, as if you were cutting into the stone, not stropping. This should remove the wire edge and give a nice working edge. Raise the wire edge (burr) on the coarse side, remove it on the fine side.
 
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I suppose much depends on your father's profesion, and what you learned from observing him , assisting him, and just being in his presence. My father was a wildlife biologist, as is my oldest son. My father's knives, from scalpel size, to large five inch hunting blades, were often used for performing necropsies in the field and in the lab, as well as for hunting and general camping chores.

The gentleman who sharpened his knives used numerous Japanese waterstones, and the edges would split hair and shined like polished chrome.

When I decided to begin doing my own sharpening, I realized that I didn't posess the delicate touch and artistic skill to duplicate that man's work. Nevertheless, I was determined to maintain my knives in a manner that my father would have been considered satisfactory.

Therefore I purchased an Edge-Pro Professional, and through experience acquired the necessary skills to use it to it's full potential. (It's actually quite simple to learn.) I can now easily duplicate the edges that my father insisted on for his knives.

Perhaps, had he been a ranch hand or construction worker, his requirements for knife maintenance would have been somewhat less demanding. But he wasn't. And he was the man who taught me how to use knives.
 
If you want to sharpen inexpensively, I would suggest looking into a belt sander. You can pick up a harbor freight 1"X30" belt sander for around $39, a few various 1" X 30" grit belts for $2 a piece (240, 320, and 600 grit) and a single surgi sharp 1" X 30" leather strop for like $14, and some stropping compound. So for about $65 you can have a complete set up that will give you scary sharp shaving edges.
 
I like Carl's advice. Learn to sharpen free hand. Practice on some cheap flea market of kitchen knives. Free hand is the method I learned first. I tried some of the crock sticks and others, but I still come back to the bench stones. My work horse stone is a Norton combination India stone.

The goofiest thing I sharpened a knife (cleaver) on was the cement curb outside of my friend's house. Not the best, but it did cut a whole lot better.:D

Where are you located? There may be a forum member that is close and would get you started. I'm in the South Bay Area in California.

Ric
 
add another one for recommending learning freehand :)
practice on a 'practice' knife first with a normal sharpening stone
It's a very useful skill for any person, I think it's indispensable for people in this underground club of ours :p
 
The way I do it:-- I like diamond stones. They are fast and there is no possibility of blade overheating as there is with power sanders. For reprofiling an edge I use a coarse 12" stone on a bench; Then progressively finer. I don't like to reprofile. But I enjoy touching up the edge after any prolongued use. Frequent touch ups reduce or eliminate the need to reprofile. Currently, I use an extra-extra fine diafold. (When DMT comes out with the smaller minisharp in extra-extra fine I will go back to that because of its size and portability).

These small, light diamond sharpeners are the ultimate in self-sufficiency. They can remain always on your person along with your knife and enable you to touch up the edge anywhere.

To use them effectively you have to learn to find the edge and neither increase or decrease the angle much as you move the sharpener up and down. If the edge of a four inch blade has been dulled with not much damage, touch ups usually take me about five minutes. It helps to have something to cut to see your results but it's not necessary. It also helps to clean the diamond surface with soap and water (or just water) when you see a buildup of black residue.

I hold the knife in my left hand and the sharpener in my right (I'm a righty). I normally use a very light touch. Once I find the edge I constantly observe the angle and try to keep it constant....on the flat part of the blade and the belly. The more you practice it, the better you get.
 
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